The more I've dabbled with online dating the more I find myself thinking "COME ON!" to myself as I read terrible profile after terrible profile. So here's a list of tips for guys embarking into online dating. Some of these things might not bother other girls, but I consider myself a pretty normal everyday woman so I'm assuming many do.
1. Women don't trust profiles with no pictures, or even just one picture. We know you don't take as many pictures as we do, but surely you have female friends who have taken a picture of you before? Check your Facebook, find a few pictures that show your face, and preferably at least one full length shot and upload them. If you truly don't have any, make an effort to get some.
2. While on the topic of pictures, if you're over 22 stop with the selfies in the bathroom mirror. If you want to show off your rocking bod find a natural way to do it. Maybe you were on a boat with your buddies, playing beach volleyball, out on a run? We love eye candy too, but we don't want you to seem egotistical about it.
3. This might be personal to me, but honestly I get nothing out of seeing pictures of you with kids that aren't yours. Or frankly even if they are yours because I think it's weird to put pictures of underage people up on dating sites. There are freaks out there. Mention in your profile that you love your kids or your nieces/nephews and we're good.
4. Careful with your username. Don't use it to declare how hot you are or for some cheesy pick-upesque line. Initials and some numbers are fine- boring usernames aren't a deal breaker. Weird ones might be.
5. If you're a dad put down how many kids you have and maybe their ages. I don't need much more than that but there's a big difference between having one 2 yr old and 3 kids in their late teens. No offense.
6. Don't put down your income. If it's low, sorry, I'm probably judging, and if it's high I probably don't believe you. Also, it's really no one's business is it?
7. When listing your occupation I know you're often given broad categories, "education," "legal," or "medical" use the option to give more detail and give more detail. If you work in the mailroom at a law office you are NOT in the legal profession. If you are a medical transcriptionist then yes, you work in medical, but you should clarify you're not a doctor or nurse or pharmacist. It sounds like I'm being picky and maybe I am but I feel lied to if you give me a false impression.
8. We already know you don't want to "play games." Does anyone? Don't state the obvious in your profile. Mention why you've chosen online dating, what you're generally looking for- a relationship, casual dating or what have you, and leave it at that. Some general information about yourself is good. And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE write in complete sentences with punctuation and proper spelling. I can forgive a mistake or two but I cannot look past someone's profile that reads like, "I am lookin 4 the 1 if u think u r rite for me send me a message" It's terrible and lazy.
9. I'm not a big fan of putting a lot of restrictions on the "your match" or "what you're looking for" section. You seem overly picky and if I don't match those criteria and you messaged me I feel "less than" what you want. Clearly we all have preferences, but I think we've all had instances where we found people interesting that didn't fit our mold perfectly. Be open.
10. Don't just wink and like my pictures. Now that your profile is more female friendly MAN UP and send me a message. We may be online dating but women still want to be pursued. If I wink at you that's likely the closest I'll get to making the first move. Be a man, message me, and before too much time passes. Ask me out.
Well gentlemen, what do you look for in a profile?
Ladies- do you agree? Anything I'm missing?
No comments:
Post a Comment